The present invention relates in general to cup holders for vehicles and other environments, and, more specifically, to a stowable cup holder that can be concealed within a vertical panel.
An abundance of cup holders is desired by users of vehicles and other seating environments such as theaters and stadiums. In some locations such as the rear seats of a vehicle passenger compartment, the locations for placing a conventional cup holder have been very limited due to the absence of horizontal surfaces and the lack of depth behind the available vertical surfaces (such as the trim surface of a side door or the back surface of the front passenger seats or console). Many prior attempts to package cup holders in these locations have produced flimsy cup holders which lack structural integrity, are difficult to use, and are difficult to clean. It would be desirable to provide a cup holder that efficiently uses the limited packaging space available behind a vertical panel while solving the foregoing problems and accommodating both large and small beverage containers.